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NVIDIA denies enthusiasts the Quad-SLI goodness
Techreport has posted a review of nVIDIA's latest dual-GPU graphics card, the GeForce 7950 GX2, which also happens to be capable ("capable" being the key word) of Quad-SLI. You won't be surprised to read that this card is fast when compared to its predecessors. It positively destroyed all the other single-GPU cards the Techreport guys tested it against; in Battlefield 2 the GX2 managed "twice the average frame rate of the GeForce 7900 GT." As you probably already know, this kind of performance doesn't come cheap. NVIDIA expects the 7950 GX2 to cost around $599 to $649, and that's before you check your power bill: in tests the card drew 133 Watts at idle and a whopping 237 Watts under load. In comparison to the card's main single-GPU rival, ATI's X1900, the 7950 featured similar levels of power consumption, size and heat output but performed significantly faster in all the benchmarks. The 7950's dual-GPU solution also surpasses the performance of traditional SLI configurations like dual 7900 GTs, with the added advantage of being compatible with any PCI-e motherboard chipset. Strangely, the biggest problem that the review found had nothing to do with the card itself. Although the 7950 GX2 is perfectly capable of being partnered up with another card to make a Quad-SLI system, nVIDIA refuses to support this type of configuration, citing the "complexity" involved. The only way you'll be able to get a Quad-SLI setup is by either hacking two cards together or by purchasing a (some say overpriced) system from Alienware, Falcon Northwest or Dell.The company went as far as refusing to supply the website with a second review card. As the reviewer points out "when explaining to your best customers why they can't purchase two of your $649 video cards for themselves without also buying a $5K PC built by someone else, it's probably not good idea to use a shaky excuse with an embedded insult."
Alienware Aurora m9700 laptop reviewed
Hot Hardware had the envious position of being able to test out one of Alienware's latest gaming laptops, the SLI-enabled Aurora m9700. As you would expect, the system performed really well, thanks to the dual NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 GS 256MB graphics cards, AMD Turion64 ML-44 processor (2.4GHz), NVIDIA nForce4 chipset, and 2GB RAM. Suprisingly, they found the battery fared pretty well, getting more than 120 minutes -- not a lot compared to most laptops, but look at what's in the thing. They also liked the big 17-inch WUXGA 1920 x 1200 display, but did find that the glossy coating can hinder more than help due to its reflectivity. It's also, obviously, really big and heavy (8.5 pounds), but we're guessing anyone actually considering this system won't be put off much by that. Price starts at a reasonable $1,999, but to get it loaded similar to their review unit will run you more like $3,600.
Alienware's Aurora 7500 first to offer AMD LIVE!
We're sure this whole all-caps "LIVE!" thing is going to get old after a while, but for now we'll revel in AMD's attempt at a Viiv competitor and bother you with all sorts of systems based on it. Alienware has not only packed this new spec into their new Aurora 7500 and Area-51 7500 desktops, but are throwing in a Blu-ray drive as well to sweeten the deal. As with Viiv, most of the LIVE! spec is based around a bunch of vague multimedia buzz words, but the LIVE! software package seems like it'll make a decent addition to a WMCE PC, and it really can't hurt anything. Otherwise the specs stay true to their recently announced Aurora ALX roots, including quad SLI, liquid cooling, and of course some AMD Athlon 64 FX-60 to compensate for something power your exciting and fulfilling life. We specced a 7500 for what we guess is LIVE! compatibility (they're not actually letting you order 'em yet, though the Blu-ray drives are available now) for around $4300, so we suggest you get saving.[Via BIOS]
Jade Empire on PC, Alienware giveaway
This week at E3, BioWare announced they will be porting their Xbox hit Jade Empire to the PC. To commemorate the event, registered members of the Canadian developer's community site can enter to win an Alienware Area-51 5500 PC with Intel's Dual Core technology.The updated version of Jade Empire will include shinier graphics and new fighting styles, as well as additional enemy types and increased difficulty levels. LTI Gray Matter has been tapped to handle conversion duties, but with Microsoft Game Studios out of the picture, BioWare is looking for a publishing partner to get the new and improved Jade out by year's end. It will be interesting to see how the new keyboard control scheme works out for Jade's real-time combat. Hopefully, the transition will feel as natural as the turn-based fighting in KOTOR. For more information, check out GameSpot's first look from E3.
Dell shows pics of next-gen gaming boxes
If you thought you had to be at E3 to check out Dell's new gaming boxes, we've got some good news for you: Dell has launched a web site to show off the prototype models, the cleverly named XPS Next Generation Gaming Desktop and the previously revealed XPS Mobile Entertainment Concept laptop. The bad news? Dell's Flash-heavy teaser site for the boxes provides little in the way of real specs (unless you consider a statement that the desktop will include "some of the latest processors, graphics capabilities and performance hard drives" enough info). The site does, however, show off some of the desktop's external features, including an aluminum case, a choice of LEDs in 7 different colors, and -- woo hoo -- a stabilizing fin. No specs on the laptop either, natch, but we already have the goods on that one. We're not sure if Dell plans to bring either of these to market, or if they're just eye candy designed to attract gamers to existing products, like the M1710 notebook. However, we expect the desktop to show up in some form, if only so that Dell can try to say that the company's home-grown, Intel-based gear is as good as the AMD stuff they picked up from Alienware -- which, at this point, may be the whole point of keeping the XPS line alive in the first place.[Thanks, Templedog]
Seen around eFocus event
We stopped by the eFocus event over at the California Mart in LA's Fashion District. Just a few snapshots of what we saw...
Alienware's SLI-enabled 19-inch mALX and 17-inch m9700 laptops
Alienware unveiled two new SLI-enabled gaming laptops today, one 19-incher with a slick color-shifting paint job, and another that may be the first 17-inch notebook on the market with two graphics cards. As far as features go, both machines sport almost identical specs to the other SLI models we've seen: XP-powered AMD Turion 64 processor, two 256MB nVidia GeForce Go 7900 GTX cards, anywhere from 512MB to 2GB of RAM, WiFi (Bluetooth optional), 4-in-1 card reader, and your choice of hard and optical drives. Available for preorder immediately, the 19-inch mALX starts at $4,500 ($500 less than Voodoo's similar Envy u:909) while the 17-inch m9700 (pictured after the break) goes for $2,000 and up.
Dell's Alienware purchase, the week after the morning after
Now that the world's had a few weeks to digest the news that Dell acquired Alienware, some more thoughtful analyses are starting to appear. The basic justification for the merger hasn't changed -- Dell purchased Alienware because Dell repeatedly failed to build credibility in the high-end PC gaming market -- but the analysis has gotten better. Slate's Séan Captain writes the best one yet. Our readers also suggested a few areas for evaluating the merger. Will Alienware's tech support suffer? Wrote Sloopydrew: "At least now Alienware PC owners will be able to enjoy long chats with underpaid folks in India." And how about the fact that truly hardcore PC gamers would never buy any pre-assembled computer because they know that they can get a faster box for less cash by assembling components purchased separately? One more thought: now that Apple's released bootcamp (it runs games fast!), maybe the market for pre-assembled gaming rigs will shift to from Star Wars geeky to the sexy brand of geek chic that Apple peddles.
Dell's $10K XPS 600 Renegade sold out
If you've been saving your pennies for one of Dell's $10,000 XPS 600 Renegade computers, you can stop now and spend the cash on something else (like, maybe, an Alienware box). Dell has announced that the luxe gaming rig is already sold out, after less than a month on the market. Of course, the Renegade was always listed as a "Limited Edition" box, and Dell was a little coy about what that actually meant. We figure they probably made about 10, and Michael Dell picked up at least three of those for his own collection, and gave two more to Nelson Gonzalez and Alex Aguila. The other five? Our guess is that they burst into flames from that "factory overclocked" processor (or the paint job), and are now being refurbished for sale via Dell's outlet site for a mere $8,999.[Thanks, Michael]
Alienware's Sentia m3200 business-minded laptop reviewed
"Business-minded" and "affordably-priced" are not two terms you think of when it comes to boutique gaming rig manufacturer Alienware, so when they announced the 12-inch Sentia m3200 notebook with integrated graphics and a sub-$1,500 price, we were eager to see how it performed. ArsTechnica has a, um, thorough look at this new ultraportable, and seem to come out generally impressed though not overly enthusiastic, as this model does have a few severe drawbacks. Overall, the system's 2.0GHz Pentium M fares decently for most non-cycle hungry tasks such as web browsing, basic multimedia, and Photoshop, but the built-in Intel graphics chip means that 3D CAD work or post-2004 games are pretty much out of the question. Also getting knocks were the ~3 hour battery life, limited vertical viewing angle on the LCD, and sub-par Media Center replacement, the bootless, Linux-based PowerCinema multimedia suite. Still, if you want a light notebook and won't be straying too far from a power outlet, the m3200 seems like a pretty good option, and is also one of the cheapest ways to sport that attention-getting, blazing-blue alien head for livening up stuffy board meetings.
Engadget Podcast 073 - 03.28.06
The Podcast is back! We've been out of the action for a couple of weeks but we aren't going anywhere -- except to Vegas next week for CTIA. But we're catching up this week on all the video game news and rumors surrounding the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Revolution (or should we say Go?), the first new TiVo we've seen in, well, a while, and Microsoft's latest delay for Vista, which puts us squarely back to January 2007. We also decided to snag a couple of those emails you've been sending in and give 'em some air time, so listen in to the latest ep, we'll do our best to make sure it's worth your wait. Get the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3). [RSS] Add the Engadget Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically (MP3). [MP3] Download the show (MP3). [AAC] Download the show (enhanced AAC). [OGG] Download the show (OGG). [Vote] Vote for us on Podcast Alley! Hosts Peter Rojas and Ryan Block Producer Randall Bennett Music J J J - 'Suits' in Japan Format 45:45, 20.9 MB, MP3 Program 01:50 - Vista delayed (for consumers) till early 2007 08:42 - Dell buying Alienware for undisclosed price 13:35 - Nintendo Revolution = Nintendo GO? 18:30 - Sony confirms PS3 controller redesign 22:32 - Dual tuner TiVo pic spotted? 25:27 - Cablevision to rollout remote-storge DVR service 31:58 - Palm's 10th anniversary 35:30 - Listener email LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Contact the podcast: 1-888-ENGADGET, Engadget (Gizmo Project) or podcast at engadget dawt com
Dell buying Alienware: What does this mean to us?
We are sure you have seen the headlines all across the 'net about the latest acquisition in the technology world: Dell buying Alienware. But this is a high-def blog so what does this purchase do for us? Dell currently is selling the majority of what Alienware's does but Dell does not offer any home theater style media centers; Alienware does. In fact, Alienware sells high-def media centers. Hewlett Packard has been selling HD media centers for sometime now but they just have not marketed them well. Dell however, is a marketing giant. If anyone can put high definition media centers in American homes, Dell can. Dude! You got a high-def Dell.
Dell confirms Alienware purchase
After denying the rumors that first started circulating a couple weeks ago, Dell has finally confirmed that they've acquired high-end gaming rig manufacturer Alienware for an undisclosed amount. When suits are making such acquisition decisions, they often start with a "make or buy" investigation. One can assume that whenever the decision to "buy" (that is, acquire an external company) has been made, said suits determined that the acquisition target offered something that they couldn't "make" on their own for the right price and within the right time frame. Oh hell, we'll stop beating around the bush: Dell purchased Alienware because Dell has repeatedly failed to build credibility in the high-end PC gaming market. Few Joystiq readers associate the Dell name with gaming performance, and that's exactly why Dell had to acquire an outside company. How many $10,000 gaming rigs do you reckon Dell will sell now?
Rumor: Dell has bought Alienware
CNET has heard from "a reliable source" that Dell has indeed bought Alienware, the high-end PC vendor.It's obvious that Dell wants a bigger piece of the PC gaming pie, considering their XPS line of systems and the fact that hardcore gamers are willing to pay a pretty price to eke out higher framerates and screen resolutions.The question is whether Dell was actually willing to buy its way into gaming credibility and if it would move the company into the realm of AMD-powered game/workstations or not. More word when we have it.[Via CNET, Evil Avatar]
